Never underestimate the importance of a moderator. In virtual events, the moderator is not the filler between speakers. The moderator is the glue that holds the entire experience together. When virtual events succeed, audiences credit the content. When they fail, audiences quietly blame the flow. That flow lives or dies with the moderator. After coaching […]
Read More...When Brilliant Executives Suddenly Need Presentation Skills
I am frequently asked how I work with executives who are exceptional at what they do and have never had the time, opportunity, or need to improve their presentation skills. Until. A new position. Higher visibility. And a mandatory 45-minute presentation to senior leadership and the board of directors. Now the stakes are high. The […]
Read More...Why Coming to America at 20 With $500 Seemed Like a Good Idea
January 18 is my personal anniversary. It is the day I arrived in the United States. When people ask, “Why did you come to America at age 20 with no job, no contacts, and $500?” my honest answer is, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” And it did. At that point in […]
Read More...Enjoy the Results When You Maximize the Power of Well-Chosen Words
Recently, I was interviewed by my NSA colleague Shannon J. Gregg, PhD, for her Life Sciences Sales Lab podcast, and she asked a question that took me straight back to the early 1990s. “Patricia, when was the first time you coached a scientist?” That honor goes to my next-door neighbor, Mike Powell. In the mid-1990s, […]
Read More...Your First Step is to Think
It is never too early to begin thinking about a speech. Before they meet me, many of my corporate clients believe “preparation” starts the week before the presentation. Some believe it starts the night before. Too many believe it starts when they open PowerPoint. That is not preparation. That is assembly. A powerful presentation begins […]
Read More...Design Your Best Year Ever: How High Performers Turn Intention into Income
Every December, I hear the exact phrase from talented professionals and speakers: “Next year is going to be my best year ever.” Naturally, I am one of them! However, I am smart enough to know that hope is not a strategy. High performers do not drift into exceptional years. They design them. If we want […]
Read More...Do You Know How Long Before True Performers Earn their Success?
One December evening, with some of my closest friends, Joe Veneto, Marilyn Sherman, and Ford Saeks, I watched Frankie Moreno at his Christmas show at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz. As seasoned professional speakers, we were not simply entertained. We were reminded of something essential. True performers earn their success over decades, not moments. Frankie’s career began […]
Read More...Why the Best Business Deals Are Won Before the Numbers Are Negotiated
Why the Best Business Deals Are Won Before the Numbers Are Negotiated When my friend Michael Sipe, a brilliant mergers and acquisitions specialist, was building his reputation as a business broker, I helped him craft speeches to market his expertise. Mike has always understood something many professionals overlook: Most business deals are not won on […]
Read More...You May Be Shocked at What the Sales Manager Admitted
A few years ago, during a presentation-skills training session, the sales leaders sat in the room and heard what I was teaching. After the first lunch break, the national sales manager walked to the front of the room, looked at his sixty top associates, and said, “At lunch, the executive sales team and I decided […]
Read More...The Appalling State of Applause
The Appalling State of Applause At the National Speakers Association, we joke that everyone—including the salad chef—gets a standing ovation. Funny, yes. Accurate, no. Most conferences are far more restrained. My other association family is the Professional Speechwriters Association, and this year’s conference was one of the best I have ever attended. Early on, we […]
Read More...
